Summer is here! While everyone loves a long day at the beach and hours of good music during festival season, too much sun exposure can wreck havoc on your beautiful skin. Follow these expert skincare tips from internationally-licensed esthetician, Seven Brown of Harlem Skin & Laser Clinic. With over 15 years of experience, Seven shares industry secrets on how to protect your skin from the sun and heat, while nurturing it for a healthy glow. Get all the way into Seven’s summer skincare advice – it goes way beyond just slathering on SPF!

1) Get a radiant summer glow by exfoliating your body once a week followed by a body oil of your choice. The exfoliation allows the oil to penetrate and deliver lovely benefits to the skin.

2) Be sure to protect the most vulnerable skin on the body – the lips & eyes. Lips lack the ability to moisturize themselves so Chapstick with SPF or a great shade of lip gloss will do the trick. For the eyes, take this moment to rock a fabulous pair of shades.

3) Lighten up on the makeup, especially foundation and opt for a tinted moisturizer instead. For a sun-kissed glow minus the harmful rays, try a bronzer. Remember to take your makeup bag out of the car as the heat melts and degrades product.

4) There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a fruity, summer cocktail but be sure to add lots of water to defend against dehydration. Dehydrated skin is compromised skin.

5) Like to stay fit during the summer? Mist skin with a water-based spritzer to keep it hydrated while working out or walking.

6) Those annoying little red bumps on the back of your arms and legs (known as keratosis pillars or KP) do not have to make you rethink your summer wardrobe. Smooth things out with a glycolic or lactic acid-based scrub.

7) Lastly, add a Vitamin C serum to you daytime regimen. It has super powers against aging and has sun protecting qualities!

Photo Credit: Alzo Slade

About Seven Brown:

Seven Brown is an internationally licensed and respected esthetician, beauty educator and expert with over 15 years experience. Her expertise is in electrotherapy also referred to as “microcurrent” – a treatment that increases muscle tone, reverses cellular aging and quickens healing time of both face and body.

Style Files: Spring Blossom with Pastels and Florals

We’ve been having some pretty decent weather lately. One day last week we hit about 60 degrees. Some people were ridiculous with their attire though. It is not time to shed all of your warm clothes, but here is a little spring time outfit inspiration.

Spring Wardrobe Essentials

Now that spring is finally here, it’s time to think about refreshing your winter-worn wardrobe. To help get your creative juices flowing, we’ve created a handy guide featuring all the essentials. Take some time this weekend to really analyze the contents of your closet. Toss or donate the things you don’t wear anymore, and start penning a list of must-haves to snag from the store. Our philosophy: A well-thought-out wardrobe equals a well-dressed you!

The 27-year-old superstar will star in Dior’s fourth installment of their “Secret Garden” campaign — a series featuring models posing in the palace of Versailles, clad in Dior creations — the fashion house confirmed on Friday. She will be shot by famed photographer Steven Klein, with the film and print versions of the campaign scheduled to run this spring.

But as if being an official Dior girl wasn’t amazing enough, Rihanna’s highly anticipated campaign also marks the first time a black woman has been chosen to front the French fashion brand. Other celeb Dior spokeswomen include A-listers Jennifer Lawrence, Charlize Theron, Natalie Portman and Marion Cotillard.

The Dior partnership particularly makes a lot of sense given that Rihanna is often a staple at the high-fashion brand’s shows, always flawlessly dressed of course.

“I was at the CFDA awards as I was receiving a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ …. and I have to say that Rihanna was for me, that night, one of the most beautiful women that I have ever beheld,” Ford gushed. “As [my husband] Richard said plainly after the evening, ‘If you are as beautiful as Rihanna, you almost owe it to the world to appear in public almost nude’ and I have to say that I wholeheartedly concur.”

Fab Under $50: Transform Your Look with these Accessories

Since I moved to my new apartment last August, my accessories game has taking a turn for the worst. With the exception of a few pieces that my mom bought me for my birthday, I have not updated my accessories in forever. I have lost tons of earrings and only wear a few pairs now, because that’s all that I have left.

I had an accessory cork board before, but the way my new bedroom is setup, there isn’t enough wall space for it, and it would look awkward in any other place other than my bedroom. So I barely wear the necklaces that I do have, and when it is time to “dig in the boxes” I just get lazy and do not feel like searching. I’m not going to even talk about bracelets and rings. SMH.

I’m just not inspired by what I currently have anymore, so I’m on the search of new pieces to update my look. Accessories can make or break an outfit so I like to have multiple options. I want to do a wardrobe update for the spring (whenever it decides to show up) and new accessories are a top priority.